Careless Whisper
by ChipsAhoyPup
Summary: L, at 11 years old, runs away from the orphanage, only to stumble across Light, who helpfully takes him in with his family. But when Wammy's goes on a man-hunt for the missing child, will Light be able to save the one he loves? LightxL.
1. Promise

Careless Whisper

ChipsAhoyPup

Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note.

Warnings: Yaoi, LightxL, violence, and things in that offensive nature. Don't read if you can't deal with any of those.

A/N This is an AU, obviously. HOWEVER, I do want to somewhat stick to the characters personalities, so if any of them seem way OOC, please let me know. I'd appreciate it. I also like constructive criticism, so if you have any for me, I'd be happy to take it. Thanks.

"Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop."

He took a deep breath and placed one foot out the gate. Another deep breath, the other foot. He risked a nervous glance back towards the large building behind him, behind the gate he had just stepped out of. And for once in his life, he could finally say the two words out loud, the two words he'd been wanting to say ever since he'd been bound in this place.

"I'm free."

The words escaped his lips, hushed and slowly, as if afraid that once he said them, they'd be gone forever. But they echoed again and again in his head, reassuring him, pushing him to move forward along the sidewalk, following the path. His pace gradually quickened, until he was finally sprinting away from the orphanage, his bare feet pounding against the gravel, scraping his soft flesh underfoot.

He ignored the pain, continuing to run at break-neck speed, not daring to stop. He closed his obsidian eyes, focusing on the wind that whistled around his ears and buffeted his messy raven hair. Past the whistling wind was a distant jingling sound, accompanied with the vibrating of coins clashing against each other in his scuffed-up jeans pocket.

When he finally opened his eyes, he found that he was nearly at the end of the block. He rounded the corner, slowing down a bit, exhaustion suddenly slamming into him violently. Panting, he edged forward slowly. He hadn't even run that far yet and he already felt cramps clamping onto his ribcage. He blamed his lack of exercise.

He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the white sleeve of his shirt, and although he had slowed down significantly, he still didn't stop. He wasn't going to stop until he found a place to settle down for the night. Crisp fall air licked at his cheeks, mingling with the sweat. And yet he persevered.

Because L would give anything to be free.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, The clock taunted, the majority of the young adults in the classroom craning their heads towards it, waiting, waiting...

BRIIIING! The bell finally rung. Students gathered their stuff up, while the professor reminded them of the project that was due in a couple of weeks. The students hustled out of the classroom, some of them heading off to another class, some to their dorms, and others straight home. Light was one of the few who didn't have a dorm; his home was close by, and he'd much rather live there than in the college.

He left the school and casually walked down the sidewalk, shifting his tote bag so that the shoulder strap wasn't digging into his shoulder as painfully. When he got to the railroad tracks, the sign was already lowering itself down, blinking an urgent red.

Light sighed in irritation. Now he'd have to wait. He dully surveyed the crowd. Same people, different day. Wait a minute. His eyes stopped on a dirty looking child. He'd never seen that person before. The panicked expression on the kid's face made Light suspicious. He had that running-away-from-the-law look.

The train rushed past, and once it was gone, the sign raised again and the red light abruptly stopped blinking. As Light walked over the tracks, he continued to observe the child, who stumbled across the tracks, his head tilted towards the ground. It was as if he was afraid to look at anyone.

Light would've let the child go, but he was too suspicious... and curious. He waited for the crowd to thin out before gently grabbing the child's arm, stopping him. "Hey, kid, just where do you think you're going?"

"U-um... I was j-just... g-g-going to g-get my Mom something from the s-store... S-see?" The child rustled around in his jeans pocket with his free hand before holding out a handful of coins. Light noticed that his hand was violently shaking in presumed fear. It was very clear that this kid was lying; he wouldn't look Light in the eyes, and he had faltered a couple of times when telling his story.

"You sure you didn't steal those coins?" Light asked accusingly.

"Oh, n-n-no, sir, I-I'd never steal," The kid answered, eyes widening innocently.

"...What's your name, kid?" Light asked, not buying it.

The kid hesitated for a moment before quietly saying, "Ryuzaki."

"Ryuzaki, huh?" Light skeptically raised an eyebrow. "That's a strange name."

The kid, Ryuzaki, shrugged meekly, lowering his gaze towards the ground.

"And tell me, Ryuzaki, where do you live?"

"Y-y-you know, I-I'm not allowed t-to t-t-talk to s-strangers." So he was trying to dodge the question now. Well Light wasn't going to let it slide.

"I'll have you know that my father is a police officer, and I'm currently majoring in law in college. I'm not just any stranger. Now, I'll repeat the question: where do you live?" Light asked sternly.

"...Wammy's," Ryuzaki whispered.

"Wammy's?" Light echoed, confused. Was that an address or something? It sounded familiar... Wait. "You mean that orphanage down the street?"

"Don't send me back," Ryuzaki pleaded, looking up at Light, tears welling up in his eyes. Sympathy clouded Light's gaze. This child looked to be dirty and tired, and a sliver of fear still shone brightly in his moist eyes.

"I won't, as long as you promise me one thing," Light said softly. Ryuzaki tilted his head to the side a bit in response. Light smirked teasingly before finishing, "Promise you didn't steal those coins from the orphanage."


	2. Surprise

"_To be your friend was all I ever wanted; to be your lover was all I ever dreamed."_

_

* * *

_

"Mom," Light called, dragging Ryuzaki into the house with him. He had decided that he was going to take this orphan in. It was the least he could do for accusing him of stealing and scaring him. Besides, he was sure that Ryuzaki had nowhere to go. He wasn't going to leave the 11-year-old alone, on the streets.

"Yes, dear?" A kind-looking, semi-old woman walked into the hallway. She gasped in surprise when she noticed the child that was accompanying her son. "My, my, what have we here?"

"This is my new friend, Ryuzaki," Light lied easily, gently nudging the boy forward. Ryuzaki timidly bowed toward the woman.

"N-nice to m-meet you," He stammered politely.

"Nice to meet you too." Light's mother smiled softly. "So tell me, Ryuzaki, where do you live?"

"He's from that orphanage not far from here. Y'know, Wammy's?" Light explained, saving Ryuzaki from having to answer.

"Oh, the one for the gifted?" Sachiko looked genuinely surprised. "That must mean you're really intelligent, huh?" She turned towards the younger boy again, who modestly shrugged, his face turning a light tint of red.

"Oh yeah, didn't think of that." Light rubbed his chin thoughtfully. So this kid was supposedly smart? Well, he'd just have to test his intelligence, then. "What's the square root of pi?" Light challenged Ryuzaki spontaneously.

"1.7725," The child answered monotonously, though he still had that look of panic etched in his expression. "H-how many s-sides are there t-t-to a nonagon?" He shot back, stumbling over his words, which unfortunately made him appear less intellectual than he actually was. Light's chocolate eyes narrowed and the corner of his lips tugged upward in a slight smirk. It was a competition now? Fine. Light could play hard ball.

"Nine. When did-" Light began, but he was cut off by his mother.

"Light, that's enough. You can test him later," Sachiko said sternly. The brunette merely rolled his eyes. "So, what school do you go to?" She asked Ryuzaki, instantly friendly again.

"O-oh, w-well... they sort of home-school us," He answered uneasily, lowering his gaze towards the floor.

"Is that so? Then how did you and Light meet?"

"I saw him standing by the railroad tracks and stopped him to talk to him. I... kind of accused him of stealing," Light awkwardly told his mother. He then realized that he had yet to apologize for that incident. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to apologize," He said out loud, turning to face Ryuzaki. He dropped down to his knees so that he was at eye-level with him. "I'm... sorry for calling you a thief," He said as sincerely as possible.

"T-that's okay!" Ryuzaki blurted out, eyes wide, as if he felt guilty for being apologized to. Which Light didn't get, since he _deserved_ the apology.

"No, it's not," Light argued, shaking his head stubbornly. "I was in the wrong for just randomly grabbing you like that and yelling at you for stealing, when you didn't. So... I'm sorry," He repeated. He felt like a broken record, but he just wanted to make sure that his apology was hammered into the raven's head.

"...That's okay," Ryuzaki said again, quieter this time, awed into near-silence by Light's persistence.

"Are you sure? If you think I owe you something, I'll do you a favor. Any favor you want," Light offered.

"Oh, n-no. No, no." Ryuzaki was the one to stubbornly shake his head this time. "You don't owe me anything. It's not like I did something for you."

"But-" Light was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him. The brunette got to his feet, and he and Ryuzaki both whirled around so that they were facing the door they had entered about 10 minutes ago, only to come face-to-face with Light's father. Or, well, it was more like Light was face-to-chest with his father and Ryuzaki was face-to-waist with him.

"Light," Soichiro said with a curt nod toward his son.

"Dad," Light answered in the same exact tone.

"Who is this fine gentleman?" His father asked gruffly, gesturing towards the messy, raven-haired child, who shrank back slightly, intimidated by this man's appearance. He was in a police uniform and had a scruffy mustache. He wore glasses with oval-shaped lenses, and he was tall and bulky.

"My new friend, Ryuzaki, who ran away from his 'home', which is actually an orphanage for intelligent children, and now needs a place to stay, so I was thinking that he could stay here," Light explained in one breath.

"What?" Sachiko and Soichiro's eyes practically popped out of their heads. Ryuzaki hadn't said anything, but his eyes widened too; he clearly hadn't known of Light's intentions.

"Er... Ryuzaki, is it?... Why don't you go upstairs for a bit? You can play around with Light's old toys, if he has any," Sachiko suggested. "Light's room is easy to find; it looks like a study. Think you'll be alright finding it by yourself?"

Ryuzaki nodded, silent as a mouse. He cautiously shuffled towards the staircase, hesitating for a split second before obediently heading up the stairs. The three older ones watched him, as if he was an animal on display at the zoo. Looking flustered, he sped up a fraction of a second more, and disappeared at the top of the staircase. Light's parents instantly turned on him.

"You didn't tell me you wanted us to _keep him here_," Sachiko exploded.

"But, Mom-" Light began. As usual, someone interrupted him. He felt irritation boil up inside him; his parents _never_ let him speak his thoughts. It seemed that in their eyes, his opinion didn't matter. Why, because he was younger than them?

"No buts," Was what his interrupting father said. Light seethed silently. Now they were talking to him like he was as old as Ryuzaki. "We can't afford to take care of another child right now."

"Dad, you're a _police officer_!" Light snapped. "You're willing to let a little kid starve on the streets and die?"

"No. He's not going to starve on the streets. We'll just take him back where he came from," Soichiro said, seeming to think this was the most reasonable thing to do.

"Oh, so he can just escape again? Or, or better yet, so that he can get punished brutally?" Light snarled. Soichiro opened his mouth to protest, but Light hastily continued, "He ran away, so it must be a horrible place. I'm sure he wouldn't run away if he was having the time of his life there."

"...He's right, you know," Sachiko spoke up. A bewildered expression crossed Soichiro's face.

"Wha- So you're taking _his_ side?" Soichiro yelled exasperatedly at his wife.

"Having another son wouldn't be half bad," She mused. "In fact, he doesn't look like he requires much maintenance. And he seemed so sweet and smart. And he could really use the help right now. Even if it's only temporary, I think it would be a good idea to take him in."

"But... but..." Soichiro glanced from his wife to his son a couple of times, before hanging his head with a sigh. "Oh, alright."

Light couldn't help but feel a little shocked. His father gave in? That was so... unlike him. But then again, he usually wasn't against both Light and his mother. Light smiled a bit; he'd have to get his mother to side with him more often.

"So he can stay?" Light asked stupidly, acting oblivious on purpose just so his parents could confirm his hopes.

"Yes," Soichiro said simply. He massaged his temples and grudgingly headed to the kitchen, muttering to himself. The two watched him depart, an awkward contentedness lingering in the air.

"Why don't you go and tell your new brother the good news?" Suggested Sachiko, a hearty smile playing across her face.

"Good idea." Light sprinted up the stairs. He couldn't help but wonder what Ryuzaki was doing up there; it wasn't like Light had a lot of stuff to do in his room. He hoped it had been enough to keep his new brother busy while they had their conversation, which was more like an argument when he thought back to it.

"Ryuzaki, you're allowed to stay," Light announced as he entered his room. But no one was there. Confusion glinted in his caramel eyes, and he scoured the room, wondering if maybe, just maybe, Ryuzaki was only hiding. Yeah, that was it. It was a game. Children loved games. Light assured himself with this thought. "Ryuzaki?" He called again, half expecting the boy to leap out from behind something and greet him with a loud 'Surprise!'

But still, no one answered, and nothing stirred.

Then something caught Light's attention. It was something normal, something most people wouldn't notice. It was wind. The slight breeze rushed noiselessly into the room, pushing playfully against the blanket on his bed, causing it to rustle. Light's attention was immediately drawn towards the window. It was open, as was the screen behind the window. That could only mean one thing.

_He escaped!_


	3. Dreams

_"We were given: Two hands to hold. Two legs to walk. Two eyes to see. Two ears to listen. But why only one heart? Because the other was given to someone else. For us to find."_

* * *

_Where could he have gone?_ Light thought rapidly, panic-stricken. He and his parents hadn't been talking for long. He couldn't have gone far... right?

There was only one thing to do. Light was reluctant about it, but he knew that there weren't many options at this point. If he really wanted to find his brother, and he did, then he'd need to follow Ryuzaki's exact steps.

Determination struck him like lightning. He placed his hands on the windowsill and stuck his head out of the frame. The roof didn't look flat enough to walk on, which worried him. But he decided that it was worth a shot. He pushed his way out the window, nervously planting one of his hands on the roof. It felt stable, but still, it was on a slant, which would make walking difficult.

But he couldn't give up now. His other hand placed itself upon the roof as well, and soon enough, his whole body was all the way out the window. He sat on his hands and knees on the roof, frozen, his body trembling as it attempted to keep him balanced. A gust of wind nipped at his face. He shivered and raised himself up.

Adrenaline pumped through his body as he slowly sat up. When he was finally sitting normally on the roof, his legs hanging off the edge as if it was a chair, he breathed a long sigh of relief. Now was the part where he jumped down.

He forced himself to look down at the ground, where orange, yellow, red, and brown leaves dappled the half-straw-yellow, half-leaf-green ground. As beautiful as it looked from above, he knew that the leaves weren't enough to break his fall. So how did Ryuzaki get down?`

Light glanced around desperately. _A-ha! _He declared inwardly, spotting a tree nearby. One of its branches stretched out towards the roof of his house, the tip just barely touching the bricks. It was farther down along the roof, near the window to his parent's room. He hesitated very briefly before unsteadily starting towards the tree on his hands and knees.

As he crawled along the roof, adrenaline rushing through his veins, keeping him from stopping, he could've sworn he heard a small noise come from underneath the house. He paused. Yes, there was a noise, he was sure. He pinpointed it; it came from below the tree he was edging towards.

He continued towards the branch, trying to be more quiet this time. The closer he got to the branch, the louder the noise became. He strained to figure out what it was, and it didn't take long for him to recognize it. It was Ryuzaki. And he was crying.

Concerned, Light quickened his pace. He soon reached the branch. He dug his fingernails into the bark, struggling to get a grip. He cautiously pulled his whole body forward so that his feet were no longer on the roof. His legs wrapped themselves around the branch and he heaved himself forward. It didn't take long before he had arrived at the trunk. He clambered onto it and used his feet to push himself down instead of his hands.

And then he was at the bottom. He was nothing but relieved when his feet were finally on solid ground. He silently tip-toed around the tree until Ryuzaki was right there, sitting under the tree, hands on his face, sobbing. "...Ryuzaki?" Light called softly. The boy's head snapped up and he looked over at Light in alarm. He hastily wiped his tears on his sleeve.

"W-w-what?" He stammered, his voice shaky from crying. Light sat down beside him, observing him closely.

"What's the matter?" Light asked, sincere concern flooding his auburn gaze.

"I-I..." Ryuzaki took a deep, shaky breath, before continuing, "h-heard you guys t-t-talking."

Light bit his lip. His parents had said some rude stuff, he recalled. "How much did you hear?"

"I stopped listening when your dad said that y-you were going to take me b-back," Sniffled the boy. "I was g-going to try to escape, b-but I was tired s-so I just sat here to rest for a while, a-and then I didn't want to move a-and I started to cry."

The tears were really hitting a nerve in Light. He hated it when people cried. Especially when little children cried. He remembered hugging his little sister every time she burst out crying. That memory brought him to wrap his arms around Ryuzaki and hold him close, hoping to comfort the boy this way.

He felt Ryuzaki press his face against his chest, muffling his small, feeble sobs. After a moment, Light decided to tell him the good news. "Well," he began, watching his new brother pull his head away so that he could hear Light clearly, "You're not going back. In fact, you get to stay here."

"...R-really?" His ebony eyes were shining, and not from the tears.

"Yup." Light grinned. "You're pretty much my younger brother now." Ryuzaki beamed, which was kind of adorable when mixed with the tears. But Light still didn't like the tears. He wiped them away with his dusty-brown sleeve, for which Ryuzaki looked grateful. "So, do you know how we can adopt you? That way you won't be hiding here illegally?" Light asked.

"You can't," Ryuzaki answered simply.

"I... can't? Why not?" Light asked, puzzled.

"Because the orphanage is for intelligent children who are being taught to be the top detectives and lawyers and professors and such, and they don't want to waste our talent," He explained, absentmindedly tugging strands of grass out of the ground.

"That... doesn't sound too bad... Why'd you leave?" Curiosity sparked in Light's thoughts, forcing him to ask that question.

"Because I hate it there," Ryuzaki said gloomily. "My parents died when I was little, and I have always wanted parents ever since. I guess I'm the only one, because no one else tried to escape. They're too proud of their gifts to want to."

Light became speechless for a moment, before quietly saying, "Well... we're your family now."

"But you can't adop-" Ryuzaki started.

"I don't care. I just won't tell my parents, and we'll keep you here illegally. It's risky, but we can handle it." Light smiled and gave his brother a small, reassuring squeeze.

"Are you sure?" He asked, shooting a guilty glance skywards, towards Light.

"Positive. So," Light said, trailing off awkwardly as he contemplated something to talk about. "...Ryuzaki." The boy stared at him blankly, as if wondering why all he said was his name. "Do you have a last name or something?"

Ryuzaki faltered, before explaining, "Well... Ryuzaki isn't exactly my real name."

"Oh? Then what is your real name?"

"...If I tell you, you can't tell anyone else."

"You have my word."

"...My real name..." Ryuzaki leaned in, so that his mouth was next to Light's ear. He whispered, "is L Lawliet." Then he shifted back so that he was no longer so close to Light.

"...That's a nice name," Light lied, casting a polite smile towards L, while inwardly he was wondering why anyone in their right mind would name their child after the 12th letter of the alphabet.

"Thanks. But you have to keep calling me by my fake name," L ordered. His all-too-serious expression made Light chuckle a bit.

"Yes, sir," He said, pretending to salute. Ryuzaki smiled ever-so-slightly, looking amused.

"What about you?" L asked.

"...What _about_ me?" Light asked right back, unsure of what L meant. If he was talking about real names, then there wasn't much to say, considering Light really _was_ his name.

"Tell me more about yourself." Mild curiousity sparked in L's eyes as he propped himself up on his elbows; his elbows were digging into Light's thighs, since he was still sitting in Light's lap. Not that Light minded. His younger brother was too frail to inflict much pain.

"Well... I'm majoring in law in college."

"You already told me that. Multiple times."

"Really?"

"Well, no, you only told me once, but still... tell me something else."

"Like what?"

"College can't be the _only_ thing interesting about you," Ryuzaki insisted, his voice filled with disbelief.

"...Well... truth is... I don't _want_ to be a policeman. Or a lawyer," Light admitted, averting his gaze from L.

"You... don't? Then why are you majoring in law?"

"I want to make my dad proud."

"So the only way he'd be proud of you is if you became a policeman or lawyer?"

"Pretty much."

A short, awkward silence hung in the air, before Ryuzaki broke it. "What _do_ you _want_ to be?"

"A teacher," Light answered immediately.

"Is there a specific subject you wanted to teach?"

"Probably law."

"Well that would certainly put your years of college to good use," Ryuzaki commented. He became silent for a couple of seconds, before he muttered, "You should be what _you_ want to be. Don't let your parents tell you what to do."

"It's not that simple." Light was convinced that L just didn't understand. He'd never had parents before, so he probably assumed that they didn't have as much control over their children as they really did.

"...Well... _why_ do you want to be a teacher?" L continued, quickly moving away from the subject of parents.

"Because... I've always wanted to be the one to spread my knowledge. I'm usually studying and learning from others to become smarter... and the thought that I can make someone _else_ smarter... or, well, about a hundred children a year smarter... it's just an amazing thought." Light sighed dreamily, lost in his own world.

Ryuzaki respectfully waited for Light to snap out of his daze. When his older brother finally blinked and turned his attention back towards L, he said, "That's a great reason. Most people wouldn't know why. But you... you know _exactly_ why." Admiration drowned his words and expression. Light was flattered.

"Well, yeah. I've had plenty of time to think about it, after all," He pointed out. "So, do you know what _you_ want to be?" L shook his head, looking a little downcast. "Well, hey, don't worry about it. You have _plenty_ of time to think about that. After all, you're only... how old are you?"

"Eleven."

"Wow, eleven? You look much younger than you really are... b-but anyways, you're still young. So, seriously, don't worry about it." Light smiled reassuringly.

"I guess," L agreed.

Another awkward silence, this one much longer and more relaxed. The chirping of birds were able to fill in the silence, and the two watched the sun creep lower towards the ground, turning the blue sky a vivid pink. The clouds were torched a light pink as well.

"Sayu's probably home by now," Light muttered, mostly to himself.

"Who's Sayu?" Ryuzaki asked.

"My younger sister. Or, well, _our_ sister, although she's older than you," Light answered. "Want to go meet her?"

"Sure," Ryuzaki eagerly replied, on his feet in an instant, allowing Light to stand up. The two headed towards the front door.

Light instinctively grabbed ahold of L's hand. The younger one looked surprised at first, but then Light sent a warm smile towards him and he smiled right back, no longer caring. In fact, he even felt an odd burst of bliss at the fact that they were holding hands.

Both of them did.


	4. Life

_"For a crowd is not company; and faces are but a gallery of pictures; and talk but a tinkling cymbal, where there is no love."_

_

* * *

_

It had been two solid weeks since Light had first found L. Since then, the two had plenty of time to bond, aside from when Light was in college. L insisted that Light should see if he could take classes that were more suitable for teaching, but Light stubbornly refused, afraid that his dad would find out.

L had grown close to Light, so close that Soichiro and Sachiko got used to seeing him every time they saw Light. In fact, it appeared that Ryuzaki would follow Light around everywhere, like a duckling following its mother.

On this particular day, the family had decided to take an outing to the mall. Sachiko wanted to get Sayu new clothes. And Light needed to get L new clothes. He had tried on Light's clothes one day, but they were way too big; he could barely walk two centimeters without tripping over the cuffs of his pants. So he borrowed T-shirts and sweat pants from Sayu, ones that looked plain enough to pass as boy's clothes.

"Are we almost there?" L asked every two minutes.

"No," Light would answer, and the young boy would turn and stare out the window for two more minutes before repeating the question and receiving the same answer.

Finally, after what felt like forever to L, the car slowed to a stop. "We're here," Soichiro announced. L practically leaped out of the car, excitement bubbling up inside him. He spun around so that he was facing a large building. He knew it was the mall the instant he saw it, despite the fact that he had never seen a mall before.

"Woah," He said, his voice hushed in awe.

"Is this your first time going to a mall?" Sachiko asked. L nodded silently, obsidian eyes glimmering with anticipation.

"Can we go in now?" He pleaded as the last one in the car, Sayu, struggled out, complaining about something that L barely paid heed to.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going to take Ryuzaki inside," Light said, grasping L's hand. L practically bounced up and down enthusiastically, causing Light to laugh a bit.

"Okay," Soichiro and Sachiko said in unison. And with that, Light and L set off, hands still entwined.

"What's it like in there?" L wondered, glancing sideways at Light as they walked.

"Well, it's usually really crowded, but it's really big and there are lots of different stores you can buy stuff from," Light explained.

_Crowds?_ L shuddered the slightest bit, pressing himself against Light's leg. _That means that there are going to be lots of strangers... a-and maybe even... n-no, don't think like that. It's impossible. Why would HE—no, THEY—be in a mall? Seriously, you're just being paranoid. You'll be fine, as long as you stick close to Light, _L assured himself inwardly. He finally zoned back in to reality to find that Light had been talking.

"...ores," Light finished, and that was all that L actually heard.

"I-I'm sorry, what?" L felt stupid for not listening in the first place. Light's disapproving look made him feel even stupider.

"Did you even hear a word I said?" Light asked, letting go of L's hand and turning to face L.

"N-no," L admitted. _At least, not a whole word,_ He added silently, but knew better than to say that out loud. Light sighed dramatically and repeated what he had said, the only difference being that this time L was listening.

"I _said_: What's the matter, are you afraid of crowds? Because if you are, it's okay; we can just go into empty stores."

"Oh. Y-yeah, that sounds good," L agreed, hastily latching onto Light's arm before the older boy could start walking again.

Light started towards the entrance of the mall again. When they arrived at the double doors, L expected Light to simply push them open. But instead, he hit a large square button with a picture of a blue stick figure in a wheelchair on it. The door opened on its own. L couldn't help but gape.

"That's the handicapped button," Light explained as he walked past the already-open door, L being dragged behind, still clinging to his arm. "It automatically opens the door. It's made for people who can't open the door by themselves, but anyone's free to use it."

L nodded in understanding, absorbing everything that was now around him. People milled around, practically shoving each other out of the way as they tried to get to one of the many stores that looked never-ending, sticking out from the sides of the walls, all right next to each other. "There's so many," L gasped.

Light chuckled and began pulling L towards a store. He glanced up at the sign that hung above it. '_Borders_,' it read. As they entered the store, L's eyes instantly lit up. Shelves towered over him, brushing against the ceiling. Books were crammed into every nook and cranny of the shelves, and of the store itself.

"This," Light said, sweeping his arm as if he were a game show host revealing a brand new car for the winning contestant, "is a bookstore."

"A bookstore?" L marveled at the thought of being able to bring any one of these books home. Back at the orphanage, they had a small library with very few books, and were inhibited from bringing them back to their rooms. The books were strictly for research purposes only.

L crept up to one of the shelves and snatched up a random book that caught his eye. On the cover was an illustration of a boy with dark hair, cape fluttering behind him and glasses askew as he ducked under an archway, riding aboard a broom. His arm was stretching upward in a vain attempt to catch a small golden ball with wings. A mysterious white horse with a horn on it's forehead galloped past in the background, and a suspicious-looking building sat opposite of the direction the horse was heading towards. "_Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone_," L read out loud. He glanced towards Light inquisitively, who raised an eyebrow.

"It's a pretty popular series with a huge fan-base. I've read it before, though I'm not very into fiction books. It's a good book," Light said with a small shrug.

Series? Fan-base? Fiction? All these terms were lost on L, who'd only ever read biographies, dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, and the lot. "What's it about?" Surely it was impossible for any of what was on the cover to actually be in the book. White horses with horns? Boys who wore capes and rode on brooms? Flying golden balls with wings? It sounded like something a 3 year old kid would come up with.

"It's about a boy who's parents died in a car crash when he was young, so he's forced to live with his nasty uncle, aunt, and cousin, all of whom absolutely hate and mistreat him. The boy, who's name is Harry, soon finds out that he's a wizard and that his parents were actually killed by a dark Lord, and that the evil Lord tried to kill him too, but he survived and destroyed the Lord instead. Then he's taken to a wizard school called Hogwarts, where he meets new friends and enemies and has to overcome obstacles and stuff like that," Light explained.

Now L was even more confused. He didn't understand about three-quarters of what Light just said. But he didn't want to make Light mad, so he nodded and pretended that he completely understood. He put the book back and scanned the room, wondering if there were any books that were completely based off of facts and not... whatever that _Henry Panner _(or whatever it was called) book was based on.

"Are there any books about animals?" He asked Light. He didn't know why, but he'd always taken a liking to animals. He especially liked canines and felines, such as wolves, coyotes, lions, and tigers. Plus, he'd wanted a pet for as long as he could remember. Unfortunately, pets were forbidden in Wammy's, so he'd never had one. (Although there was this one time he snuck a stray cat in... but that's a completely different story.)

"I think so..." Light tapped his chin with his forefinger thoughtfully, pacing the room, searching for an animal book. After a couple of minutes, he declared, "A-ha!"

"What? What is it?" L eagerly asked, bounding over to where he heard Light's voice. He nearly ran straight into him, but was able to stop himself just in time.

"I found a couple. _Animals of the Arctic_, _Animals of the Rain Forest_, and _Animals of the Jungle_. Which one do you want?" Light asked, spreading the three books out in his hands so that L could inspect the covers.

_Animals of the Arctic_ had an adorable picture of a small, fluffy white animal with flippers, no feet, no ears, and tail fins. _Animals of the Rain Forest_ had a beautiful black bird with a multicolored beak. And _Animals of the Jungle_ had a typical picture of a tiger. L was positive that he didn't want _Animals of the Rain Forest_, because he wasn't quite fond of birds.

So now he was stuck between the arctic one and the jungle one. He kept glancing back and forth between the two, indecisive. After a long moment of his mental debate, he still remained unsure. Light, fed up, took both books to the cashier and paid for both of them.

L wouldn't stop thanking him as they left Borders and headed to another store called 'Gamestop.'

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you," L continued. By now it was just a flood of words that wouldn't stop rushing out of his mouth; it sounded like he was rambling.

"You're welcome, for the thousandth time. You can stop thanking me now," Light said, rolling his eyes. L obediently fell silent and once the two were in 'Gamestop,' Light explained what video games were.

* * *

The rest of the day was a blur. The two went to a bunch of different stores, sometimes for Light and sometimes for L. At some point they met up with Soichiro, Sachiko, and Sayu. But this only lasted ten or fifteen minutes before the group split up again.

Light even took L to a weird machine that was kind of like a vending machine. Except you were supposed to sit inside it and there was a curtain so that people couldn't peek in. Apparently, according to Light, it was called a 'photo booth,' and it took five photos. While it took photos, people were supposed to do a bunch of random poses.

So Light and L did just that. Afterward, Light took a strip of paper out of a slot on the side of the photo booth. He held it out towards L, who took it and looked at it. It was five pictures of the two in random poses, exactly the poses they had done in the booth. The raven grinned and gave the paper back.

"I'll put it in my wallet," Light said as he got out his wallet and carefully put the photo strip in, "and save it so that I'll always have it."

"Always?" L asked disbelievingly. 'Always' was a really long time; it was as long as 'forever.' He doubted that Light would keep a simple strip of photos forever.

"Always," Light echoed. He glanced at his watch. "Ah, shit, I almost forgot the whole reason we came here! C'mon, let's go buy you clothes that actually fit." He quickly grabbed L's hand and the two sprinted toward yet another store.

* * *

A couple of days after the mall trip, the phone rang. Normally this isn't what you'd call a rare occurrence, but the Yagami household hadn't had anyone call their house in a while.

Soichiro got to the phone first and answered it. Light, L, and Sayu were watching TV in the living room, and Sachiko was doing the laundry in the basement. L, who wasn't very interested in the TV show, strained to listen to what Soichiro was saying, but he was talking way too quietly. He kept casting glances towards L, his expression unreadable. Finally, he hung up the phone.

Without a word, he walked into the living room, approached the TV, and roughly hit the power button. As the TV turned off, Sayu protested with an irritated, "Hey!" Soichiro ignored her and faced Light and L, glaring accusingly at the two. They shrunk back into the couch, intimidated by his stare. He opened his mouth and growled two words, two words that made Light's eyes widen and L's blood run cold.

"Wammy's called."


	5. Saving

"_Two hearts with but a single thought, two hearts that beat as one."_

* * *

"Oh, that orphanage down the street?" Light asked casually, pretending that he didn't know anything else about it. "What do they want?"

"Light," Soichiro said, his voice rising in anger, "as I'm sure that you know, it's not just any orphanage. It's the orphanage that _he," _he pointed at L, "ran away from. They want him back."

"But, dad, you don't understand! He-"

"He ran away from Wammy's?" Gasped Sayu. This was news to her. "But isn't that, like, the orphanage that only the most intelligent children can get into? Wow! You must be really intelligent, then, huh?" She stared at L admiringly. "But, then, why did you lea-"

"Sayu, go away," Light snapped, irritated by her relentless babbling. Plus, he didn't want her to finish what she was saying, because he feared that it would be the wrong thing to say right now.

Sayu scowled. She opened her mouth to protest, but Soichiro quickly cut in. "Sayu, why don't you go finish watching your TV show up in your room?" He kindly suggested, though the gentleness in his voice sounded forced. Sayu hesitated for a moment before reluctantly heading to her room.

"Dad, this isn't fair," Light said as soon as Sayu was out of earshot.

"Life isn't fair, Light," Soichiro responded automatically. It was his answer to almost everything, and Light hated it.

"I know, but... Ryuzaki came to us for help. We _rescued_ him. He could've died out on the streets if we had left him there. Do you really want him to try to run away again? What if he does die this time around? Then what?" Light growled, his caramel eyes narrowed and focusing so hard on his father that, if looks could kill, Soichiro would be having a heart attack on the ground at that instant.

L, who was still sitting right next to Light, sat there awkwardly, panic etched in his face. He had grown tense at what Light had said, and was considering running to Light's room or something.

"That's not our problem." That did it. Those four words that came out of Soichiro's mouth—L's "adopted father"'s mouth—sent the child dashing up the stairs. Tears sprang from his eyes, blurring his vision.

He soon found himself in Light's room and paused in front of the window in order to swiftly wipe his tears away with the white sleeve of his shirt. He cast one quick, sorrowful glance behind him before yanking the window open. He hated how his first instinct was to always run away. He never stood his ground, but instead ran from all his problems. Or, tried to. He was now finding that, no matter how far or fast he ran, he'd never escape his problems.

A small sob escaped from his lips. He quickly clamped his hands over his mouth. What if Sayu heard him and came running? He cast a fleeting glance behind him before clumsily clambering out the window, trying to be as quick as he possibly could.

Just as he stuck one of his legs out the window frame and onto the roof, he heard footsteps charging towards him. Panicking, L practically threw himself out the window, tumbling onto the roof... but he didn't stop tumbling. His face and arms and legs painfully scraped against the brick roof as he skidded towards the edge.

"Help," He yelped before he could stop himself. He felt his legs leave the safety of the roof. His scraped-up arms shout out and reflexively grabbed the gutter that was attached to the edge of the roof. He hung there for a moment, panting heavily, his legs dangling in midair, his fingers painfully gripping onto the gutter.

"H... help!" L repeated, squeezing his eyes shut and willing himself not to look down. "Light! Help me!" He couldn't breath, he couldn't hold on much longer, he was going to let go, he was going to fall all the way down to his death and hit the ground and... and die.

_No! No, I can't die, I can't! I made it all this way, I finally escaped from the orphanage, I found a home, a family... I can't die. Even if they want to take me back to the orphanage... I-I don't care. I'll escape again if I have to. Just so long as I don't die! _

L opened his eyes again and glanced up at the roof. He recalled the footsteps he had heard, but still no one had appeared at the window. So... who had been running towards him? Maybe it was Soichiro? After all, he probably would never want to save his adopted son. And he had wanted to take him back to the orphanage, too.

_I guess I'll have to save myself,_ L thought, straining to heave himself back up onto the platform. He let out a strangled gasp as he relaxed his muscles, his lower half dropping back down again. "L-Light... p... _please_ help," L whined as loud as he could, hoping, praying, that Light would hear him.

"Ryuzaki?" A voice called, and L's eyes widened.

"I'm down here," He replied loudly, his voice drowning with relief. The sound of someone clambering on the roof quickly followed, and suddenly Light's face peeked down at him.

"Oh my God! Are you okay?" Light gasped, horror sweeping over his expression just as fast as the relief swept onto L's.

"Y-yeah... b-but I can't hold on much longer. Please help me up?" L pleaded quietly, tentatively taking one of his hands off the gutter. He struggled to stay on by his remaining hand whilst raising his free hand up towards Light. His whole body was shaking, making it hard to hold on.

"Of course." Light hastily grabbed L's wrist with both hands and pulled. L let out a small gasp of pain as he was yanked onto the roof. He lay on his stomach, panting again, fear still lingering in his eyes. "Are you okay?" Light asked, clearly concerned.

"I... I think so," L breathed. Light sighed quietly and scooped L up, pulling the boy onto his lap. L's breath hitched at the sudden action, though he wasn't quite sure why. Brothers were supposed to be affectionate with each other... right? He pushed away the shock that had overcome him and wrapped his arms around Light's waist, pressing his face against Light's chest like he had done two weeks ago, underneath the tree. He tried to say something, but Light's cotton shirt muffled his voice.

Light chuckled a bit at the failed attempt. "What?" He asked, a good-natured smile on his face.

L pulled his head away from Light's chest. "I-I said... 'thank you'..."

"No pro-"

"For _everything_," L interrupted. He didn't give Light time to respond before continuing, "Thank you for rescuing me, thank you for keeping me here for two weeks, and thank you for arguing with your father that I should stay... It's been fun." He forced a small smile as he stared up into Light's eyes earnestly.

"You're speaking as if you're saying goodbye," Light said slowly. When L didn't say anything, shock and realization sparked in the older boy's caramel eyes. "No! You're not going to leave, Ryuzaki! I'm not going to let you!"

"But your dad-"

"Forget my dad. We don't need him. I'll..." Light became silent for a moment, a thoughtful look taking over his face. "I'll... I'll save us. Just trust me, okay? I'm sure dad'll let you stay here for a little while... and then..."

"And then...?" L prompted when Light trailed off and didn't pick back up.

Light's lip curled up into a smirk and his eyes glittered with mischief and menace. "And then... well... you'll just have to wait and see," He said, his voice so smooth and confident that L couldn't help but feel confident himself.

**A/N So sorry this chapter took so long! I got addicted to a new series, Hetalia, so working on a Death Note fanfic became difficult since the original personalities of Light and L slipped my mind a bit. But I tried my hardest to continue keeping them in character, and don't worry. I'm not going to ditch this story. Not after all that me and it have been through. Also, I'd like to thank you guys for sticking with me up until now. I know I'm a pain to deal with, considering how long it takes me to do a new chapter, but I'll try not to let you guys down. I love you all~**


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